Q&A with RainyMilli (Voice Newspaper)

I caught up with RainyMilli who talks about his new single, which is out now, and who you might remember from his famous viral Notting Hill Carnival video! Find out more here:

Q: Who is RainyMilli?

A: RainyMilli is a musical artist and a creative designer. A positive minded individual with a forward thinking approach to everything he does. Born Daniel Damilola Nejo, Milli was born and raised in Nigeria into a polygamous house of four wives and 10 siblings. Milli has always had the mindset of getting whatever he wants on his own, trusting on no one else besides himself to achieve his goals due to his background and up-bringing. Besides music, RainyMilli has a masters in business information systems management from Middlesex University, London and is endorsed by the UK as an “exceptional talent” in digital technology.

Q: What and who inspired your journey?

A: In terms of musical inspiration, I was inspired by the likes of Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Ace Hood and Wizkid but the need to express myself and thoughts unto a beat and make a melody out of it is one of my biggest inspirations. Also, because I grew up with a stutter, creating music is the only time where my speech organs perform at their absolute 100 and I feel invisible, somewhat like Jet Li but way darker in complexion and much sexier [laughs]. So, it’s safe to say that the disappearance of my stutter when I make music is a key inspiration for me to do more of what makes me invisible.

Q: How did going viral affect your musical journey?

A: It played a key role because before my viral moment, I was actually on a break from music and didn’t know when or how to come back into making music. The reason for my break from music was because I moved to London in 2015 to get my masters and since then, I have been so engrossed with the tech side of myself that I almost lost sight of my number one passion, my invisible power – making music. However, when that video of me dancing with a polish girl at the Notting Hill carnival 2018 went viral because she ran away from me once she realised I was Nigerian, I saw an opportunity to capitalise on it by creating a song that touches on racial stereotyping and actually showcasing the Nigerian/African culture in the video and most importantly exploiting my ability to tell stories on a beat and turn it into a song. So, going viral really snapped me back to life and back to my number one passion – music.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring creatives and potential musicians?

A: My advice would be two-fold. One, whether it’s creating music or creating a product, always ensure that you bring out something that you are proud of. Always deliver quality at all times. That’s your brand! Two, know and understand that no matter how good you are or how good your product is, if it’s not being seen by people (ideally, your potential customers or consumers), your product will not really make an impact or bring any return on investment to you. So, it’s important to use every resource you have to push your music or product in front of the faces of people who it will add value to and who will in turn either buy, stream, share or engage with what you have for them.

Q: When’s your next single coming out?

A: My next single drops in March. I want to spend about two months solely pushing and promoting my new single Eko to London. You never know though, being independent means I can wake tomorrow and decide to drop a new single. So the best way to keep in touch and stay updated on my moves is to follow me on Instagram @ItsRainyMilli

Q: Can you share any upcoming plans you have?

A: On the music side, my plan is to release an EP in 2019 and continue to create music and songs that tells stories in a fun way. On my personal side, one of the big plans I have is to empower the kids and youths in the ghetto where I was born, which is Ajegunle in Lagos, Nigeria. So I am working on some strategic empowerment programmes which will be taking place sometime this year in Lagos, Nigeria.

Q: Where can we find your music and more about you?

A: My music is available on all digital platforms, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music Youtube, everywhere, all you have to do is search RainyMilli.